Game device



M r h 2 19 J. A. GREENBAUM 3,027,162

GAME DEVICE Filed April 8, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jerome A. Greenbaum INVENTOR.

BY ive 23% J. A. GREENBAUM GAME DEVICE Filed April 8, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Fig.2 1/ a F4 5 IZ'IIZ'i e a u T 66 March 27, 1962 J. A. GREENBAUM 3,027,162

GAME DEVICE Filed April 8, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 2a 28 i] H 46 H9. 4

Jerome A. Greenbaum INVENTOR.

March 27, 1962 J, A. GREENBAUM GAME DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 8, 1959 Fig. 8

Jerome A. Greenbaum 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent Ofilice 3,927,152 Patented Mar. 27, 1962 3,627,162 GAME DEVICE Jerome A. Greenbaum, 1170 NW. 79th St, Miami, Fla. Filed Apr. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 855,083 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-126) The present invention generally relates to a game device and more particularly to a game device having utility when playing various types of highly entertaining and intriguing games which require the use of certain skills by the players and which will develop such skills as well as develop the players ability to take advantage of certain conditions which exist so that the player or players have the greatest facility for recognizing advantageous situations and then taking advantage of the same would normally win the game.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a game device in the form of an enlarged playing area bounded on three sides by a resilient cushion together with a movable projectile or shooting disk which rolls along a supporting surface and which will rebound towards the area from whence the same was projected and includes an upwardly extending pointer for indicating certain information on an overhead member together with target members suspended from an overhead memher which may be engaged by a horseshoe on the shooting disk or projectile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game device which may be played on any suitable supporting surface and which may also be played on ice wherein the projectile is provided with a pair of runners for sliding engagement with the ice.

A feature of the present invention is to provide an apparatus particularly adapted for use in playing a political game closely stimulating the actual election of a president whereby electoral votes are awarded players upon meeting of certain conditions for engagement of the projectile with certain areas.

Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a game device which is simple in construction, easy to use, well adapted for its intended purposes and generally inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game device of the present invention illustrating the relationship of the various components thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the construction of FIGURE 1;

FiGURE 3 is a side elevation of the superstructure at one end of the game device illustrating the structure thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the superstructure with the supporting board for the target members being inverted;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 illustrating the latch mechanism for holding the supporting board in position;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the projectile illustrating the structure thereof;

FEGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 77 of FiGURE 6 illustrating the details of construction of the projectile;

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of a modified form of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the projectile or disk which is adapted for use on an ice surface; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmental perspective view of a modified form of target member.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral it) generally designates the game device of the present invention which includes a pair of longitudinally elongated parallel side rails 12 and 11.4- which are supported at longitudinally spaced intervals by depending supporting legs 16. The rails 12 and 14 are interconnected at one end by an end rail 18 and the other ends of the rails are spaced freely from each other and are each provided with an inwardly extending block 29. An elongated resilient strap 23 extends between each block 20 and the legs 16 adjacent to but spaced from the end. rail 1%. The straps 28 are parallel to the rails 12 and i4 and there is a strap 28 adjacent each rail 12 and 14 with the strap 28 being spaced therefrom and forming a resilient cushion.

Each leg 16 to which the end of a resilient strap 23 is attached is also provided with an inwardly extending resilient line 30 connected to eyes 32 at diametrically opposed points on a resilient tire 34 which is also provided with caster wheels 36 supporting the same from a supporting surface such as a floor surface or the like. The end rail 18 is provided with a hook 3% for engagement with an eye-member 40 on the tire 34 when the same is moved to the position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG- URE l.

Adjacent the end of the framework remote from the tire 34', there is a movable superstructure generall designated by numeral 42 and which includes four upwardly extending corner legs 4 interconnected by horizontal members 45 extending transversely of the rails 12 and 14 and end members 43 interconnecting the members 46. Crossed braces 5o extend between the longitudinally aligned corner posts or members 44. The lower end of each corner post or member 44 is provided with a caster wheel 52 which engages a supporting surface alongside of and below the rails 12 and 14 respectively. The end rail 48 is provided with letter indicia 54 and the rail 46 facing outwardly or toward the free end of the rails 12 and 14 is provided with numerical indicia 56.

Supported within the confines of the members 46 and 48 is an enlarged rectangular panel 58 defined by a peripheral frame dii. Peripheral frame 66 is supported by support rods 62 journalling the panel 58 for rotation about a horizontal axis. The upper surface of the panel 58 is provided with a map 64 of the United States and the other side of the panel 58 is provided with a plurality of parallel straps on running in one direction and a plurality of parallel straps 68 running in another direction with there being provided supporting hooks 7d at the points of intersection of the straps 66 and 68. The straps 66 are in alignment with the numerical indicia 56 on the rail 46 While the straps 68 are in alignment with the alphabetical indicia 54 on the rail 48. Thus, any one of the hooks 76 may be orientated by providing or indicating the coordinates of such hook by use of a letter and number.

Supported from the hooks 76 is a plurality of rods 72, 74 and 76 each of which is provided with a hooked end for engagement with the hooks or loops 70 which may be in the form of eyes. The lower end of the member 72 is provided with a loop shaped member 78 forming a target while the member 74 is provided with an inverted channel-shaped member 80 having spaced free ends and the member 76 is provided with a generally triangular shaped member 82. One pair of corner members 44 is provided with an enlarged panel $4 extending therebetween with the panel having various indicia 86 thereon indicating the states, the number of electorial votes, the capital city and other chief cities together with indicia for recording the score and the winning political party. Also, the rail 46 is provided with an aperture 88 receiving a lock pin 90 having a knurled knob 92 on the outer end thereof and having a washer 94 rigid thereon slidable in the opening 88. A retaining member 96 closes the outer end of the opening 88 and retains compression spring 98 therein for urging the locking dowel 100 on the pin into an opening or aperture 102 in the peripheral frame 60 of the panel 58 thus locking the panel 58 in position. A projectile or shooting disk generally designated by numeral 104 is provided for manual movement and includes a supporting base plate 106 having a plurality of supporting casters 108 mounted thereon. Secured to the base plate 106 is a pneumatic tire rim 110 which is held in position by fastening bolts 112. The rim 110 is provided with a central hub 114 to which is rigidly secured an upstanding standard 116 which terminates adjacent the undersurface of the panel 58. A pair of brackets 110 are mounted on an inflatable tire 120 carried by the rim 110 and a pair of upwardly inclined supporting members 122 are connected to the brackets 118 and are interconnected by a transverse top member 124. The center of the transverse member 124- is provided with a V-shaped depression 126 and a generally inverted V-shaped fastener 128 extends through the transverse member 124 and is held thereon by retaining nuts 130. The fastener or retainer 128 extends through the bight portion of a generally U-shaped horseshoe 132 which is maintained horizontally on the transverse member 124 by the U-shaped fastener 128. The elevation of the horseshoe 132 is such that it will engage and be hooked into one of the target members 78, 80 and 82 if the projectile 104 is properly manipulated by rolling the same longitudinally in between the guide rails and then having the same roll back towards the free end of the playing area. In FIGURE 10, rod 72 has an offset lower end 73' removably supporting a triangular loop 78' for engagement by horseshoe 132'. In FIGURES 8 and 9 there is illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention. The structure of the side rails 12', 14', end rail 16 and superstructure 42' is the same. Also, the resilient straps 28' are the same as the corresponding structure in the device of FIGURE 1. However, extending between the legs 16' is a resilient strap 134. In the construction of the projectile 104 the base plate 106' is provided with a pair of runners 136 for engaging an ice surface (not shown) for facilitating sliding engagement of the projectile 104 on the ice surface. In each form of the invention, foul lines 138 may be provided and also a graduated scale 140 may be provided on the side rail 14-. 1 Generally, the game device of the present invention employs a floor playing area of feet by 22 feet. The height of the superstructure is 7 feet and the width thereof being 10 feet 6 inches and the length 6 feet. The pivotal frame or panel 58 mounted on the superstructure is rectangular and forms a serve and target area which bridges the floor playing area and may be eight feet by five feet eight inches. The floor playing area may be constructed of any suitable material such as wood, linoleum concrete, formica, metal or any smooth and level floor material. The side rails and end rails are preferably two inch by four inch members with the superstructure framework being two inch by two inch members. The foul lines are optional and also broken lines 142 (see FIGURE 8) are optional for purpose of shortening the length of the floor playing area for straight-away and rebound shooting into the serve and target areas. The shooting disk 104 incorporates four caster wheels and a piece of three-ply plywood forms base plate 106 which is circular and slightly smaller than the diameter of the tire which may be a 3.50 by 8 inch tire of two-ply construction normally used on'scooters. For attaching the caster wheels 108, the caster bolts (not shown) may extend through the plywood and the bottom side of the tire 120 and are secured with butterfly nuts (not shown) inside of the tire.

The shooting disk or projectile 104 travels along the floor playing area and approaches and engages the resilient tire 34 or rubber cushion strap 134. When the shooting disk or projectile 104 engages the tire 34, it will release the long hook 38 engaged with the eye member 40 secured to the tire for projecting or shooting the disk back towards the target loops 78, and 82. The map side of the serving panel 58 is turned up only to determine what state is to be played and the target loops are suspended from the hooks 70 in accordance with the instructions printed on the panel 84- as to the location of the capital and chief city. The overall diameter of the rubber tire 120 with rim is 13 inches with the bracket 122 being 6 inches in height. The horseshoe 132 has an inside opening of 3 /2 inches and overall width of 7 inches. The over-all height of the shooting disk 104 with the superstructure mounted thereon is twelve inches. The indicator standard 116 is expandible and collapsible and is attached to the metal tire rim directly at the rear of the horseshoe 132. The target loops hang 11 inches off the floor playing area. When the device is to be used on an ice floor or ice surface, the casters 108 may be replaced with sled runners 136 or sawed off ice skates (not shown). Of course, an artificial ice floor surface may be provided by any suitable refrigeration unit thus enabling the game to be effectively played.

In playing an exemplary game, the players are divided into teams or political parties and the shooting disk 104 is projected over the floor playing area with enough speed to rebound off the rubber rebound cushion tire 34 or strap 134 at the far end and possibly ofi the sides of the floor playing area so that it comes to a stop underneath the superstructure 42. At this point the side of panel 58 consisting of an outlined map 64 of the United States showing the boundaries of each State faces downwardly the indicator standard 116 then will point out one of the States and by referring to panel 84, the positioning of the target members 78, 80 and 82 on the hooks 70 is determined.

In order to win the indicated State, the team must first engage the horseshoe 132 with one of the targets designating the chief cities and then the target designating the capital city. This procedure continues until one of the teams or parties wins whose electoral votes total a predetermined number. Suitable provisions may be provided for breaking a tie vote in the event this should occur. If the target designating a capital city is engaged before a target designating a chief city, the shooting party has completed its turn and the next team or party takes its turn. This also ocurs if a state has already been taken or if the standard 116 points to a portion of the map 64 not occupied by a state.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all siutable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A game device comprising a floor playing area defined by longitudinal side rails disposed in spaced paral-- lel relation on a floor area, a transverse resilient cushion forming one end of said playing area with the transverse cushion interconnecting the side rails, a longitudinally extending resilient cushion attached to each of the side rails, the end of said side rails remote from the transverse cushion being open and forming a serve area and a target area, a projectile movably supported on the floor area whereby the same may be moved longitudinally of the floor area into engagement with the transverse cushion whereby the transverse cushion will project the projectile back towards the area from which it was projected whereby this area also forms a target area, a superstructure supported above the serve and target area, and detachable target members suspended from said superstructure for interlocking engagement with the projectile whereby a target member is picked up by the projectile when it returns toward the target area for providing a score, said superstructure being provided with an invertible panel with one side of the panel having a multiplicity of hooks thereon for supporting the suspended target members, each of said target members being in the form of a loop for engagement by the projectile, said projectile including a horizontally mounted horseshoe for engagement with said loops.

2. A game device comprising a playing area having a playing surface, side rails disposed in parallel spaced relation on the playing surface of the playing area, an end rail interconnecting the side rails thus enclosing an open ended playing area having a serve area remote from the end rail, cushion means extending along the inner surface of both side rails, a transverse cushion means interconnecting the ends of the cushion means extending along the side rails, a projectile, said projectile including a pair of runners for sliding engagement with the playing surface, said projectile including a hook-like member having an open area facing in one direction, said projectile adapted to be launched longitudinally from the serve area towards the transverse cushion means wherein the transverse cushion means will return the projectile towards the serve area, an overhead support overlying the serve area and a plurality of target members detachably suspended from said overhead support, said target members being disposed in laterally spaced relation and including means for engagement with the hook-like member on the projectile whereby the projectile will pick up a target member when the projectile returns towards the serve area for indicating a score.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said proectile includes a base plate with a pneumatically inflated tire mounted thereon, said base plate including swivel casters for suporting the base plate during movement of the projectile.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said projectile includes a base plate with a pneumatically infiated tire mounted thereon, said base plate including a pair of parallel runners mounted thereon for supporting the base plate during movement of the projectile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 450,883 Davey Apr. 21, 1891 662,948 Lawrence Dec. 4, 1900 800,232 McCluskey Sept. 26, 1905 1,163,432 Mason Dec. 7, 1915 1,329,254 Purdy Jan. 27, 1920 2,629,601 Rockola Feb. 24, 1953 2,704,211 Decepoli Mar. 15, 1955 2,727,744 Watsen Dec. 20, 1955 2,794,640 Rutherford June 4, 1957 2,825,566 Stutzner Mar. 4, 1958 2,887,320 Gravelle et a1. May 19, 1959 

